IND vs AUS: Mohammed Shami Tests Covid-19 Positive Ahead Of Australia T20Is, Umesh Yadav Added To Squad – Reports

India National Cricket Team have suffered a huge blow ahead of the forthcoming home T20I series against the World Champions Australia National Cricket Team as veteran pacer Mohammed Shami has tested positive for Covid-19 and the chances are that he will be ruled out of the series.

Shami has not played a T20I game for India since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, which was held in the UAE in October-November. However, the 32-year-old performed exceptionally well for the champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, picking up 20 wickets in 16 matches.

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Shami was excluded from India’s Asia Cup 2022 squad and this decision of the BCCI selection committee was heavily criticised by cricket pundits and fans. However, he was finally recalled for the home T20I series against South Africa and Australia.

Also, he has been named as a standby player in the squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which is set to be held in October-November in Australia.

Umesh Yadav To Replace Mohammed Shami In The Squad

The Australia tour of India 2022 consists of a three-match T20I series that will be played on September 20, September 23 and September 25 in Mohali, Nagpur and Hyderabad. Notably, Shami has not travelled to Mohali since getting tested positive for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, veteran pacer Umesh Yadav has been added to the squad as a replacement for Shami for the series against Australia, as per a report in ESPNcricinfo.

“Umesh Yadav, who was originally meant to undergo rehab for a quad injury in Bengaluru, has been called into the squad and is now in line to play his first T20I in over two years,” as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Umesh, who has only played 7 T20Is for India, brings a plethora of experience with him. Umesh has been a regular in the IPL circuit and in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, where he represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he was among the best bowlers in the powerplay, claiming 16 wickets overall at an economy rate of 7.06.

Also Read: “Don’t Start This Nonsense…”: Gautam Gambhir Ends Debate About Virat Kohli’s Batting Position With Blunt Response

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